Doppelganger

"I hate this place, it just reeks of desperation." This from the slightly frumpy woman next to her. An icebreaker.

Elise looked at woman next to her, noting the hypocrisy in her statement, given that she was here drinking her little floral drinks, and then smiled the false smile she gave people she detested. Fuck, these people don't have half a clue how pathetic they are, she thought. The woman was easily ten years her senior, obviously interested, and despite the fact that Elise normally had a thing for older women, she walked away without a word, leaving the talker at the bar.

"Hey, I was talking!", the woman stuttered as Elise left.

Elise wasn't here for talk. That was for other people.

She was here for prey.

And with that, she did a tour of the dance floor, looking for her victim. This club was a miasma, full of middle-aged dykes and a bunch of twenty something pretenders, nothing real. They were either living in relationships and toying with the idea of something thrilling, bored more than anything, or they were the type that would tentatively lick you and run to the next great boyfriend complete with the vacuous wedding they all craved. Living in a college town was a fucking drag. Everyone wanted to pretend they were lesbians for a summer or two. She wandered around, sipping her JD and coke (none of this diet shit for her) and tried to find the one true, single, available dyke in the bar. She pretended that she could feel, could sense the crazy coming off of everyone, and headed for the void. Wherever crazy wasn't, was where she needed to be.

The dance floor was full of half-hearted women, mostly overweight and many of them with nearly identical clothing, shuffling to some beat that was at least a decade younger than they were. For fuck's sake, at least put in some effort, Elise said to herself and she sidled through the crowd, brushing less than innocuously against the few good looking women.

Well, Dorothy, we sure as fuck are in Kansas.

For a second, she missed Kate. Really missed her, but it was a pang and nothing more. California was another life, ages ago, and this was the new Elise, fresh and confident. Kate had made her bed. Fucking whore.

She stopped at a tall table, almost too tall for comfort, and set her drink down. From here, she could see the entire dance floor, like a playground for the eyes. She stared for a while at the screens on the walls, trying to look nonchalant and watching the silhouettes of the dancers, clearly naked, writhing as ten foot giants. Some of them had good bodies, but couldn't dance worth a shit and some of them were utterly fantastic dancers, but you could see a paunch or a haunch here or there and you knew that as they got older, whatever love for body movement was going to diminish to something akin to obesity. Almost no one ran out here. She hadn't seen a bike since she had hit the state. No wonder heart attacks in women were nearly on par with men. For every California and Hawaii, there were 20 states like this.

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And yet, this was where you ran, tail between your legs.

Knock it off, wiseass. I dragged your sorry butt along, so shut up and enjoy the ride.

Obviously.

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She scanned the room and like magic, she found a table of businesswomen, obviously out of their element. That made things easier. You could pick out the actual dykes from the folks stuck in a bar they'd rather forget, just from body language. She sighted in and paid attention, suddenly hungry. There was a real beauty, classic, but with the ring on her finger and her hand gestures, she was as straight as a board and completely clueless she was in a gay bar. Next to her was a brunette, 30ish, with a not bad shape. Nice tits. She had lips you could kiss forever, but she was clearly trying enormously to bring to the attention of the first woman that this was a gay bar. Elise laughed. I wonder if the tall girl has any clue the brunette wants into her pants. Probably not; look at how clueless the princess is. After that, there was a string of really homely girls, clearly nothing worth writing home about.

And then she was there. Black hair, white face, round like the moon, and with eyes so big that you could just about swim in them. Elise watched her mannerisms, wondering ... hoping. The girl glanced around tentatively, never keeping her face on one spot for more than a few seconds, head down. Clearly a headcase, but clearly hot. No confidence. She sipped at some clear drink and Elise wondered if it was just water. If it was, this was over. If it was something with a kick, then this little porcelain doll had some habanero in her, just hiding. The girl bounced her head in time to the beat, clearly unware of the music itself and just riding the thump at the base of things. She had rhythm, so at least that was something. No one fucks worth a damn without rhythm.

And like it was ordained, the girl turned her head and caught Elise's glance, full on. It was only a second or two, but at that moment, there was something. Elise could feel it. Despite her best intentions, her stomach clenched and her heart had a bit of a stutter. Holy fuck, am I that desperate? She forced herself to look away, angry at herself for her weakness.

Carpe Diem. With a giant swig, she downed her drink and strode diametrically across the dance floor, splitting couples and bouncing shoulders as she went. Nothing worth having was worth waiting for.

"I'm Elise."

The girl was clearly frightened by how aggressive Elise's approach was, backing into the corner slightly. A woman from the group turned, did a double take on Elise, then a double take again on the porcelain doll.

"What the fuck are you looking at?", Elise barked at the gawker. The woman turned her back to the pair, sniffing her discontent. Good. Keep out of my way.

The girl tried to speak, but clearly was too frightened to actually form words.

"Listen, honey, I'm not a threat. I'm big and clumsy and not much more than that, but I know the rhumba and think that you are fantastically beautiful." Where the hell did that come from? It was from some romance novel, obviously. Clearly, she was out of practice.

"Uh."

"I think you need to get more than one syllable out. Like I said, I'm harmless."

"Uh."

"Good evening, my name is Elise Shannon, and you are ...?" Elise bowed pompously, hand out.

With that, the girl laughed behind her hand, hiding it like it was something dirty. Tenatively, she offered her hand, fingers down like some femme.

"I'm Charlotte. Charlotte Church." Her skin was cold, like ice. Within a second, her hands were back in her armpits, defensive.

"You have GOT to be kidding."

"No ... I wish I was."

"This is creepy. She's like, twelve."

"She turned nineteen the other day. My parents made sure to remind me."

"So ... your parents think you are Charlotte Church?"

"They wish I was; they have every album. They legally changed my name after she released her first album. I was 13, I think."

"That's insane."

"Well, if I had to choose between knifing me in my sleep or this type of insane, I know what I would choose."

Elise felt naked, all of a sudden, and wished she had a drink in her hand as a buffer. Instead, she slipped her hands inside her pockets. This girl was tiny, delicate. She felt like an elephant in front of her and all of those taunts from grade school came back to haunt her for a second. She bounced her head to the beat, much louder now that she was nearly at the speakers.

--------------

You know you want her. Kiss her.

Not now you fucking tool. I'm trying to actually get somewhere.

I'll bet her nipples are dark, like raspberries.

Oh, good god, is that all you think about?

That IS why I'm here, isn't it?

Shut up, just shut the fuck up.

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"I get the impression that your, uh, party, is less than enthused."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so."

"Don't they know this is a gay bar? It's not like the name is something cryptic." The bar was Sapphos, just like half the dyke bars in the country.

Charlotte shrugged, looking away, with her head still tapping to the beat.

"Hey ...", Elise reached out and tugged at the girl's sleeve. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure."

Suddenly, thing were looking a lot brighter. Within a few moments, it was clear that Charlotte did actually have rhythmn and not only that, could dance. Her pleated skirt whirled and spun enough that Elise could see her knee-length socks and some of her thighs clearly. Nice. The school girl look was hot. The best part was that as she loosened up, the girl danced more and more flagrantly, actually putting something into it. After a point, Elise began to get self conscious, with her big, lumbering body looking like lead next to this tiny, whirling dervish. Every once in a while, though, she caught a smile with nearly perfect teeth, and forgot all about herself for a second or two. She smiled back, hoping Charlotte didn't notice the sweat. Damn, she needed to get back into running again. This was pathetic.

When the song ended, another one started up again and they kept dancing, oblivious to the fact that more women left the floor than got on and that they were more or less the center of attention. Somehow, Charlotte had managed to undo her little bellboy jacket and at least a few buttons on her shirt and Elise caught herself more than a few times, dropping her glance down. It's a cliche that skin is like cream, but Charlotte's really was. She was like a ghost, almost transluscent.

---------------

OK, I take it back. She's probably got pale nipples, like an albino.

I'm kind of busy here.

I know, but a girl can do two things at once, right?

Not well and not when I'm trying to impress her with my moves.

It was your moves you thought would impress her?

I supposed it's too much to ask to be nice?

I wasn't born to be nice.

Yes. Yes, I know. Now do me a favour and fuck off for an hour.

Sure, sunshine. I'll just sit here ogling for a bit.

--------------

"You OK?"

Elise kind of came to out there on the dance floor and Charlotte had slowed down, concerned, and had her hand on Elise' arm, just shuffling. Elise nodded, mouth dry, and mumbled something about needing a drink. Like she was guiding a child, Charlotte took her by the hand and wended their way through the crowd at the dance floor's edge and slipped up to to the bar. She ordered a couple of apricot brandy sours and it was clear from her manner that she knew the bar had the brandy already. The bartender, a completely tatted and pierced up red head, shuffled like making drinks was the last thing she wanted to do. Eventually two glasses of some murky crap appeared on the bar. When Elise made to pay, Charlotte waved her off, already sucking on the straw of one of the drinks without using her hands. From somewhere, she produced a bill and the bartender took it, made the eyes about change, and was waved off, too, smiling now.

"You just gave her a fifty." It wasn't a question.

"Yep. She'll move faster for the rest of the night for me, now, but I won't tip her another penny. By the end of the night, I'll have tipped her less than nearly anyone here, overall."

Elise laughed.

"Yes, it's a plan. With me, everything is a plan." Charlotte grinned back at her, beautiful.

"I just wing it, mostly."

"Yeah, I noticed that. It was nice, but you did scare me at first. I don't think you know how strong you look."

---------------

Strong enough to snap necks.

--------------

"I bench around 180 or so, now. I don't know ... I just got tired of being small one day. It helps at work. I'm a courier."

"Well, that beats me. I'm a tech writer for a community college, so I write all the instructions for how to access their online storage, set up email, etc."

"That would drive me crazy."

"Oh, it does, trust me. But it's a step up from what I was writing before. Vacuum manuals."

Elise laughed because she couldn't help herself. "Vacuum manuals?"

"Don't ask."

The two women sat there for a second, sipping, with their shoulders touching and their back to the bar. Elise felt Charlotte's growing heat through her clothing, sidled closer microscopically, felt Charlotte respond in kind, and suddenly thought that Ohio might not be as bad as she had originally thought. The drink was actually good, for a girlie drink, and the sips turned into a couple of small gulps around the straw.

"Look at that dancer." Charlotte pointed to one of the screens where one of the dancers was writhing like a cat. "The rest are mailing it in, but she's really sexy. Look at how her hips move."

"She doesn't dance as well as you do."

Charlotte stared at her like she was insane. "Look at her again." Elise did, staring.

"Well, she's hot, all right, but I still think you dance better than she does."

Charlotte leaned in, throbbing with heat.

"That is me."

"Holy fuck."

Charlotte arched her eyes. "You like?" Somehow she had straddled Elise's leg and had her hand on her hip, snaking a finger underneath the bottom of her t-shirt. Skin on skin. Elise was instantly wet.

"Yes. Definitely, yes."

"Good." Charlotte put her drink down and started walking away, backwards, slowly, slipping each foot in behind the other like it was a game. Her eyes were locked on Elise's.

"What?"

"That is what we call an invitation, in case you are unclear. I've gotta go pee. Come with." She held out her hand and Elise put her nearly full drink down on the bar, threw out her hand and found herself getting tugged along in jerks by a now skipping Charlotte.

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Oh, this is definitely looking up.

Yes, it is.

Is she for us? Both of us?

Maybe. Let's just see what happens. I might just keep this one to myself.

I think I like Ohio.

Me, too.

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The bathroom was one of those all black affairs, rubbery, with stainless steel poking out in spots to break the monotony. Charlotte bee-lined for the last stall, the handicapped one, now outright pulling on Elise's arm, dragging her in. With a yank, she was inside and Charlotte had slid the latch over. Elise backed into the door, leaning, while Charlotte peeled her panties down and then abruptly stepped right out of them. She twirled them around her finger, stepping towards Elise and with a flourish, tucked them into Elise's front pocket, cupping Elise as she pulled away. Her hand was like fire. Elise wanted to kiss her, leaned in, but Charlotte was already gone.

"Take your pants off."

"Here?"

"Yes, here." Charlotte sat down to pee on the stainless steel toilet. "In fact, take everything off. If you can get completely undressed by the time I'm done, I'll fuck you right here in the stall and then take you home to do it again, properly."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. In fact, I'm already halfway done. You don't finish and I walk out and leave you here. Tick-tock. Tick-tock." Charlotte was grinning, her bottom lip pulled in behind her teeth.

"What do I do with my clothes?"

Charlotte pointed at the bar with her chin. In a rush, Elise started stripping, her eyes never leaving Charlotte's. Jeans, boots, socks (the floor was cold and tacky and she shuddered), panties t-shirt. Within a few seconds, she was naked and self conscious, her arms crossed in front of her, covering herself up without trying to visibly cover herself up.

"Don't do that. I want to see you." Charlotte reached out and pulled Elise's arms away, softly. Elise leaned back, her arms on the bar. She noticed, tangentially, that she had knocked her t-shirt to the floor, but right at this moment, she didn't care. Despite the chill without clothing, she was on fire. Charlotte's hand lightly stroked Elise's stomach, rolling over the muscles there.

"Nice."

"Th ..."

Just as Elise went to speak, Charlotted traced a finger down over her labia, parting them, Elise gasped.

"Oh, what's the matter, can't speak?"

"You are ... making it ... rather hard."

"It's about to get a lot harder." Charlotte hooked Elise's hip and dragged her closer, then lifted up one of Elise's legs to the back of the toilet, opening her up. Snaking one hand underneath and back, she pulled Elise closer yet to her as she swiveled on the seat. When Charlotte's mouth opened her, started tonguing her, Elise wavered, her hands on Charlotte's head for balance. When Charlotte's fingers joined in a minute later, probing, Elise disappeared altogether. When a stray finger slipped into her ass, she slipped over the edge in waves, clenching and struggling for balance.

As she came down from the orgasm, she noticed that Charlotte had her arm around her hip, bracing her. She had surprising strength to be holding up someone nearly half again her size. Awkward and suddenly shy, Elise tried to back away, but Charlotte kept her in the vise, staring up at her.

"That was amazing. No matter how many times I see that happen, I get a thrill. The body of the female of your species is an astounding thing. There are many subtleties." With that, Charlotte stood up, and Elise noticed with a start that she had grown and was nearly as tall as she was. In fact, she was already larger, growing visibly, her face shifting and twisting into something not human, the eyes perfect white orbs without a pupil.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

And with that, she felt a sudden pain in her groin and then a rush of warmth. She looked down, started to panic and noticed the blood streaming down her thighs. She started to scream and then a mouth that was more than a mouth, full of needle-like teeth, clamped down on hers, biting and gnawing. She fought back, but Charlotte was so strong. Just so damn strong.

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She's not Charlotte, you idiot. Let me in.

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And with that, the Other borke in and fought harder than Elise herself could have herself, biting back, scratching, punching, more an animal than a human, but as the strength ebbed out of her in great gouts, the fight was taken from her against her will and even the Other reached a point where she couldn't resist any further and Elise slipped back in, her eyes fluttering.

"Shhhhhhh, it will be over soon. Do not fight it." The arms around her were like iron. Her mouth was a mess of tattered flesh and blood, her tongue nearly gone, but she tried to speak anyway, the pain nearly faded, the mind slipping away in tiny spurts.

"No, don't speak. It's not necessary with my kind. My kind? Yes, well if you are familiar with lions ... they always tend to target the weakest of the herd in their prey. The sick, the old, the dying. I only needed time to make sure I knew which was the real personality and to gauge how much muscle mass to create, but your fate was sealed when you thought about Kate."

With the last of her mental capacity, she saw Kate again, her fingers around Kate's throat, grasping and crushing, felt the overwhelming anger all over again. The Other, doing what was necessary.

"Yes, you know of what I speak."

"Who are you?", Elise mumbled, her ravaged tongue mangling the words.

"I'm you."

And as everything faded to that dim grey at the edge of all things, Elise open her eyes one last time and could see that it was true, the new Elise reaching gently to pick up her t-shirt before the darkening pool could reach it.